The present invention relates in general to pen shaped data acquisition or data generating implements, and in particular, to a new and useful pen stand or well, which also functions as a data transfer station for use with the implement.
Hand-held scanners are known, which contain electronics and interfaces capable of scanning printed data on a page, such as bar codes and the like. One product available from Symbol Technologies, Inc. is referred to as the Datawand IIB/III, and includes an elongated hand-held scanner which is used to scan and collect data, and a data well which has an opening for receiving the scanner and for downloading the data. For this purpose, the scanner has an optical reader at its end which functions as an optical read/write head that is brought into face-to-face relationship with an optical reader in the well, in order to upload data from the scanner, and download it to the data well.
The Symbol scanner has no ability to act as a pen for writing on a surface, nor does it have the appropriate shape or size to serve as a writing implement. No special measures are taken to protect the optical reader within the data well either, since it is contemplated that only the scanner end will be inserted into the well.